Is it just me or have the prices of clams sky rocketed??

SunnyX

SunnyX

New member
I have been looking at some online vendors checking out SPS when I decided to look at some clams. Now, I have some clams in my tank and have not purchased any in a while. I was shocked to see 2-3" Maxima's going for on average $175-200.

I thought most clams were home grown and aquacultured?
What happened?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14455022#post14455022 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Letmegrow
Amen.

I noticed it too.

Liveaquarias prices have broken the ceiling too.
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Really?? I was just on the Divers Den section and noticed several at $49.99 to $79.99, not too bad, IMO. ;)

However, I was on Cherry Corals and saw their maximas were going for $300 to $400 bucks! Granted they were 4" to 6", but still!
 
Blue and black Squamosa
No description required, Blue Squamosa!
4"+ WYSIWYG
This item will be put up for sale approx. 12am EST on Sunday (1/18/09) after the Cherry Corals Holiday Sale ends.
Our price: $800.00

Yeeeaaah great price on that clam too.

I don't know, I looked on LA and the regular section and:
Super Color Crocea, 1 in. to 2 in. $ 59.99
That is really steep.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14460978#post14460978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Letmegrow
Blue and black Squamosa
No description required, Blue Squamosa!
4"+ WYSIWYG
This item will be put up for sale approx. 12am EST on Sunday (1/18/09) after the Cherry Corals Holiday Sale ends.
Our price: $800.00

Yeeeaaah great price on that clam too.

I don't know, I looked on LA and the regular section and:
Super Color Crocea, 1 in. to 2 in. $ 59.99
That is really steep.
Click to expand...


supply and demand

$800 is the average price for a rare squamosa here in NA, i've seen them get much higher. $60 for an ultra or super crocea is the normal price ( even a little low ) as well.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14456126#post14456126 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by basser1
However, I was on Cherry Corals and saw their maximas were going for $300 to $400 bucks! Granted they were 4" to 6", but still!
Click to expand...

again, perfectly normal price for a 4" - 6" blue maxima.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14470216#post14470216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
I was initially shocked because I know that clams are aquacultured so I couldn't understand why they went up so much.
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i think you have been misinformed, there are aquacultured clams but the majority ( especially the larger ones ) are wild. a 4" - 6" clam can be several years old ( ~ 2- 6 years ) and probably not a realistic way for the farms to make money.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14470216#post14470216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
Well, I looked around and found some great deals here: http://www.clamsdirect.com/store/home.php?cat=6
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CD always gets top quality clams, sold for great prices, with incredible customer service. if lived in the US, i would have Barry on speed dial :)

if you notice though, those aquacultured clams are 2" - 3", if the farm had to hold on to them for another year or several years the price would have to go up too.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14470216#post14470216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
But if supply is really down then maybe I can fetch a good price for my 6" Ultra Maxima gold Teardrop clam. ;)
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goldens don't get the top dollar like a blue squamosa or maxima but you should be able to get a decent buck for him if you want to sell.
 
All crocea permits were pulled out of vietnam before christmas, so there are very few Croceas available in the country. The clams he claims he gets for 20 bucks are probably 2" ORA which have little color compared to wild grown.
 
Nope, he is not an ORA dealer and he gets them shipped directly in from vietnam by the bulk. He mentioned that those were the last shipment he is getting from vietnam because the government was limiting the number of small croceas that could be taken from the wild.
 
the story that I have heard from my lfs as well as a friend of mine who works at a wholesale distributor is that their will be no wild harvested clams soon any clams will now have to be aquacultured or it will not be sold to the public, a zo r a public aquarium. the date for the maximas was not told i know the crocias were set for none soon to but when is not exactly known yet
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14478561#post14478561 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ctsaltwaterguy
All crocea permits were pulled out of vietnam before christmas, so there are very few Croceas available in the country. The clams he claims he gets for 20 bucks are probably 2" ORA which have little color compared to wild grown.
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What reason would i have too lie about getting a crocea for 20 dollars? Again the clams were not ORA and were directly shipped in bulk from Vietnam. He mentioned that croceas were not going to be directly shipped in anymore and the ones he currently have are still going for twenty dollars. However he said that if he manages too get any more croceas in then price will probably be highly elevated. The colors are anything but drab.
 
PA has some 2-3" maximas that are running 50 a pop. usually, the price for these had been 30, maybe 40 at most. maybe the economic slowdown is driving them up?
 
today i received the following in a e:mail from clamsdirect; "We have been asked why we are not receiving any croceas, so here is what we know. Most all T. croceas come out of Vietnam and Vietnam is now shut down and not exporting. Don't know how long it will be till they do, or if they will in the future."
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14482218#post14482218 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ocellaris123
Nope, he is not an ORA dealer and he gets them shipped directly in from vietnam by the bulk. He mentioned that those were the last shipment he is getting from vietnam because the government was limiting the number of small croceas that could be taken from the wild.
Click to expand...

We had someone local do that last year. Not sure who it was but he was delivering them in a white van. Almost looked shady to me. I hit the first store he delivered to and the lfs owner said the guy had 400 direct shipped to him. As far as I know he sold them all to 3 local stores. They had some nice croceas and they had some cool colors though nothing amazing in the 100 saw. I did hit up the second store he sold to and they had one that was half blue and half green. Of course the kid working there had already noticed it and wouldn't sell it. Also the second store was asking $20 to $40 more than the first store I visited.
 
There is practically nothing up here to be had as of late. Before I was paying anywhere from $40-$80 for Crocea & Maxima (S, M, L), ($40-$120) Squamosa (S, L) & Derasa (L). However lately there is nothing to be had.

I suspect if there was anything the prices would be higher.
 
yeah they have gone up. i am getting a maxima tomorrow and the lfs wants $100 for a 2-3" but i am also selling him a colony of about 25 tubs blues and a bunch of other zoas so i am going to play the lets make a deal game :)
 
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